Crepe (or Crape) Myrtle (Lagerstroemia)

Zone: 6 to 10
Exposure: Full sun
Height: 6′ to 30′ (depending on the variety)
Width: 6′ to 20′
Bloom time: Summer to fall
Flower color: Pink, white

In my area of the country, Crepe Myrtle is the go-to plant for fall color.

It’s an easy to grow small tree or large bush that has big beautiful clusters of blooms usually in white or pink and doesn’t take much work to maintain. They are also deer-resistant plants and are quite drought tolerant once established.

These plants also have really interesting bark which makes them a good back drop for your garden even when they aren’t blooming. When I lived in  Florida, they used to call them “tourist trees” because the colored, peeling bark looked like skin that had been sunburned.

Some varieties self seed pretty aggressively so check before you buy them.

Learn more about them.

Buy them here.*